Holtby is 14-4-2 with a 2.62 goals-against average, .914 save percentage and one shutout in 21 regular-season games against the Blue Jackets.
RELATED: [Complete Capitals vs. Blue Jackets series coverage]
"Our decisions starting with [Grubauer] was just the numbers that he put up in last while, and [Holtby] was a true pro," Capitals coach Barry Trotz said. "He's been working with his goalie coaches on his game and got some momentum going into the season. You look at what he's done in the playoffs, all of those things, I think it's a pretty good option for us, and coming here in Columbus, he's had a lot of games here and feels pretty comfortable."
Holtby, 28, relieved Grubauer after two periods in a 5-4 loss in Game 2 on Sunday and stopped the first seven shots he faced before Matt Calvert scored the winning goal on a rebound 12:22 into overtime.
Grubauer, 26, allowed eight goals on 41 shots in the first two games, for a 4.55 GAA and .837 save percentage.
The Capitals are hoping the goaltending change will help them turn the series around. In 60 games in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, Holtby is 29-31 with a 2.00 GAA, .932 save percentage and four shutouts. He's first among active NHL goalies in playoff save percentage and GAA (minimum 20 games played).
"I think we've been a confident team all year in our abilities," Holtby said. "We're focused on tonight's game. We believe we can win one game at a time. We believe we can win four in a row or four out of five. We've done it plenty in the past, and the way we've done that is just breaking things down, simplifying, staying in the moment and just going to work.
"In any situation when you're an extra guy, a skater or goalie or whatever, it's on you to stay in game shape, and we have a great staff here that puts a good plan for us on practice days to make sure we're all ready. That was our focus, and now we shift our focus to the game tonight."
Holtby, the 2016 Vezina Trophy winner and a finalist last season, started 59 of the Capitals' 60 postseason games since the beginning of the 2012 playoffs. He was the Capitals' No. 1 goaltender for most of this season, but Grubauer started 10 of their final 16 games after Holtby went through a rough eight-start stretch from Feb. 11-March 6, when he was 1-5-2 with a 4.82 GAA and .854 save percentage and was pulled three times.
After Holtby was pulled in a 4-0 loss to the Anaheim Ducks on March 6, Grubauer started four consecutive games to give Holtby time to work in practice and reset mentally. Holtby played better after that, going 5-1-0 with a 2.67 GAA and .911 save percentage in his final six regular-season starts.
Holtby was 34-16-4 during the regular season, and his 2.99 GAA and .907 save percentage were the worst in his eight NHL seasons.
"We sat down in [Los Angeles] back a while ago and we just tried to talk about different things that I think made him a really successful goaltender in the League, and I know that (goalie coach) Scotty [Murray] and (director of goaltending) Mitch [Korn] have talked to him about the same things," Trotz said. "That was the start of the reset for him because he was getting away from some of the foundations that we felt make Braden an exceptional goaltender, and I think he's gotten back to them. I think he recognizes them.
"I think as anybody grows in life, you get in different places in your life and sometimes you have to go back to some of your basics and some of your foundations, and I think Braden's done that. … I think it just gets you back to having a perspective of how you need to play and what's changing and how you're going to be successful. He's smart, he's athletic and he's confident."
